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Obfervation, and to be recommended to the Confideration of the fair Sex. I have often thought wrapping Gowns and dirty Linnen, with all that huddled Oeconomy of Drefs which paffes under the general Name of a Mob, the Bane of conjugal Love, and one of the readiest Means imaginable to alienate the Affection of an Hufband, especially a fond one. I have heard fome Ladies, who have been furprized by Company in fuch a Deshabille, apologize for it after this Manner; Truly I am afbamed to be caught in this Pickle; but my Husband and I were fitting all alone by ourselves, and I did not expect to fee fuch good Company. This by the way is a fine Compliment to the good Man, which 'tis ten to one but he-returns in dogged Answers and a churlish Behaviour, without knowing what it is that puts him out of Hu

mour.

EMILIA's Observation teaches her, that as little Inad◄ vertencies and Neglects caft a Blemish upon a great Character; fo the Neglect of Apparel, even among the most intimate Friends, does infenfibly leffen their Regards to each other, by creating a Familiarity too low and contemptible. She understands the Importance of those Things which the Generality account Trifles; and confiders every thing as a Matter of Confequence, that has the leaft Tendency towards keeping up or abating the Affection of her Husband, him the esteems a fit Object to employ her Ingenuity in pleafing, because he is to be pleafed for Life.

By the Help of these, and a thoufand other nameless Arts, which 'tis cafier for her to pra&ife than for another to exprefs, by the Obftinacy of her Goodness and unprovoked Submiflion, in fpight of all her Afl &tions and ill Ufage, Bromius is become a Man of Senfe and a kind Hufband, and Emilia a happy Wife.

YE guardian Angels to whofe Care Heaven has entrufted its dear Emilia, guide her fill forward in the Paths of Virtue, defend her from the Infolence and Wrongs of this undifcerning World; at length when we must no more converfe with fuch Purity on Earth, lead her gently hence innocent and unreproveable to a better Place, where by an eafy Tranfition from what the now is, she may fhine forth an Angel of Light. T

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No. 303. Saturday, February 16.

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Volet hæc fub luce videri,

Judicis argutum quæ non formidat acumen.

Hor..

Have feen in the Works of a modern Philofopher, a Map of the Spots in the Sun. My laft Paper of the Faults and Blemishes in Milton's Paradife Loft, may be confidered as a Piece of the fame Nature. To purfue the Allufion: As it is observed that among the bright Parts of the luminous Body abovementioned, there are some which glow more intenfely, and dart a ftronger Light than others; fo, notwithstanding I have already fhewn Milton's Poem to be very beautiful in general, I shall now proceed to take Notice of fuch Beauties as appear to me more exquifite than the reft. Milton has propofed the Subject of his Poem in the following Verses.

Of Man's firft Disobedience, and the Fruit
Of that forbidden Tree, whofe mortal Tafte
Brought Death into the World and all our Woe,
With Lofs of Eden, till one greater Man
Reftore us, and regain the blissful Seat,
Sing heavenly Mufe!

THESE Lines are perhaps as plain, fimple and unadorned as any of the whole Poem, in which Particular the Author has conformed himself to the Example of Homer and the Precept of Horace.

His Invocation to a Work which turns in a great measure upon the Creation of the World, is very properly made to the Mufe who infpired Mofes in thofe Books from whence our Author drew his Subject, and to the holy Spirit who is therein reprefented as operating after a particular manner in the first Production of Nature. This whole Exordium rises very happily into noble Language and Sentiment, as I think the Tranfition to the Fable is exquifitely beautiful and natural.

THE

THE Nine-Days Astonishment, in which the Angels lay entranced after their dreadful Overthrow and Fall from Heaven, before they could recover either the Use of Thought or Speech, is a noble Circumftance, and very finely imagined. The Divifion of Hell into Seas of Fire, and into firm Ground impregnated with the fame furious Element, with that particular Circumftance of the Exclufion of Hope from thofe infernal Regions, are Inftances of the fame great and fruitful Invention.

THE Thoughts in the first Speech and Defcription of Satan, who is one of the Principal Actors in this Poem, are wonderfully proper to give us a full Idea of him. His Pride, Envy and Revenge, Obftinacy, Defpair and Impenitence, are all of them very artfully interwoven. In hort, his firft Speech is a Complication of all thofe Paffions which difcover themselves feparately in feveral other of his Speeches in the Poem. The whole Part of this great Enemy of Mankind is filled with fuch Incidents as are very apt to raise and terrify the Reader's Imagination. Of this Nature, in the Book now before us, is his being the first that awakens out of the general Trance, with his Pofture on the burning Lake, his rifing from it, and the Description of his Shield and Spear.

Thus Satan talking to his nearest Mate,

With Head up-lift above the Wave, and Eyes
That Sparkling blaz'd, his other Parts befide
Prone on the Flood, extended long and large,
Lay floating many a Rood.

Forthwith upright he rears from off the Pool
His mighty Stature; on each Hand the Flames
Dri'n backward flope their pointing Spires, and row['d
In Billows, leave i th' midft a horrid vale,
Then with expanded Wings he fleers bis Flight
Aloft, incumbent on the dusky Air

That felt unufual Weight

-His pondrous Shield

Ethereal Temper, mafie, large and round,
Behind him caft; the broad Circumference
Hung on his Shoulders like the Moon, whofe Orb
Thro' Optick Glafs the Tufcan Artifts view
An Ev'ning from the top of Fefole,

Or

Or in Valdarno, to defcry new Lands,
Rivers or Mountains on her spotted Globe.
His Spear, to equal which the tallest Pine
Hewn on Norwegian Hills, to be the Maft
Of fome great Ammiral, were but a Wand,
He walk'd with to support uneafy Steps
Over the burning Marl

To which we may add his Call to the fallen Angels that lay plunged and stupified in the Sea of Fire.

He call'd fo loud, that all the bollow Deep

Of Hell refounded

BUT there is no fingle Paffage in the whole Poem worked up to a greater Sublimity, than that wherein his Perfon is described in those celebrated Lines ::

He, above the rest

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In Shape and Gefture proudly eminent,
Stood like a Tower, &c. .

His Sentiments are every way answerable to his Cha racter, and fuitable to a created Being of the most exalted and most depraved Nature. Such is that in which he takes Poffeffion of his Place of Torments..

Hail Horrors, hail

Infernal World! and thou profoundest Hell Receive thy new Poffeffor, one who brings A Mind not to be chang'd by Place or Time. And Afterwards,

Here at leaft

We shall be free; th' Almighty hath not built Here for his Envy, will not drive us hence Here we may reign fecure; and in my Choice To reign is worth Ambition, tho' in Hell: Better to reign in Hell, than ferve in Heav'n. AMIDST those Impieties which this enraged Spirit utters in other Places of the Poem, the Author has taken care to introduce none that is not big with Abfurdity, and incapable of fhocking a religious Reader; his Words, as the Poet himfelf defcribes them, bearing only a Semblance

off

of Worth, not Subftance. He is likewife with great Art described as owning his Adverfary to be Almighty. Whatever perverse Interpretation he puts on the Juftice, Mercy, and other Attributes of the Supreme Being, he frequently confeffes his Omnipotence, that being the Perfection he was forced to allow him, and the only Confideration which could fupport his Pride under the Shame. of his Defeat...

NOR must I here omit that beautiful Circumftance of his bursting out in Tears, upon his Survey of those innumerable Spirits whom he had involved in the fame Guilt and Ruin with himself..

He now prepared

To fpeak; whereat their double Ranks they bend
From Wing to Wing, and half enclofe him round
With all his Peers: Attention held them mute.
Thrice he affay'd, and thrice in Spight of Scorn
Tears, fuch as Angels weep, burft forth.

The

THE Catalogue of evil Spirits has abundance of Lear ning in it, and a very agreeable turn of Poetry, which rifes in a great meafure from its defcribing the Places where they were worshipped, by thofe beautiful Marks of Rivers, fo frequent among the ancient Poets. Author had doubtless in this Place Homer's Catalogue of Ships, and Virgil's Lift of Warriors, in his View. The Characters of Moloch and Belial prepare the Reader's Mind for their respective Speeches and Behaviour in the fecond and fixth Books. The Account of Thammuz is finely Romantick, and fuitable to what we read among the.. Ancients of the Worship which was paid to that Idol.

•Thammuz came next behind,

Whofe annual Wound in Lebanon allur'd
The Syrian Damfels to lament his Fate,
In am'rous Ditties all a Summer's Day,
While Smooth Adonis from his native Rock
Ran purple to the Sea, fuppos'd with Blood
Of Thammuz yearly wounded: the Love Tale
Infected Sion's Daughters with like Heat,
Whofe wanton Paffions in the facred Porch
Ezekiel faw, when by the Vifion led

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